This invention relates generally to the field of brief-type garments for men and women, and more particularly to an open-sided, waistless thong-type garment which is undetectable under form-fitting clothing.
A problem encountered when wearing tight, form-fitting clothing, such as Spandex(copyright), is that the wearer""s undergarments tend to show through creating distracting lines in the clothing. This is especially a problem for professional dancers wearing form-fitting garments who need to have a neat appearance, without visible undergarment lines, while still maintaining an adequate degree of coverage.
Brief-type garments for the lower body are typically constructed to have a waist-encircling elastic portion. In order to eliminate this elastic waistband, the present invention as disclosed herein contemplates a side-less, self-supporting thong-type brief utilizing a small diameter resilient wire frame which is suitable for use as an undergarment, a swimsuit, or a tanning garment. Thong-type bikinis or briefs formed from resilient wire are known in the art. Examples include Marbach, U.S. Pat. No. 3,339,208, Leonard et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,367,715 and 5,396,662, Crawford, U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,482 and Viniegra, U.S. Pat. No. 2,534,934.
U. S. Pat. No. 3,339,208 discloses a contoured loop of resilient steel wire which forms a spring adapted to be placed between the wearer""s legs in order to provide a minimal clothing article for the lower portion of the human figure which does not require any body circling element. The garment is made of a spring designed to fit between the legs of the wearer with a suitable flexible covering applied to the spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,482 discloses a thong-type tanning brief having an interior frame formed of a length of resilient malleable wire which has no side or waist portions. The brief is packaged and sold in a straight configuration, and is thereafter curved along its length to custom fit the body of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,367,715 and 5,396,662 similarly disclose a wire frame for a bikini bottom having a V-shaped front portion and a T-shaped rear portion. The frame is constructed from two lengths of wire which are bent to define mirror images of each other.
Each of the above-described garments would not be suitable as an undergarment for form-fitting clothing because the shape and thickness of the articles would make them clearly visible beneath the wearer""s clothing. These prior art garments would therefore not meet the objectives of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,534,934 discloses a support or shield garment designed for male wearers which is constructed from a one piece wire frame which is covered with fabric. The device is maintained in place by engaging with portions of the male anatomy. This support garment is designed for male wearer""s only, and would not be especially suitable to be worn alone as a swimsuit.
Another drawback of each of the prior art garments is that they include a wire portion generally aligned with the waist of the wearer which forms the upper portion of the wire triangle which covers the pubic region. This construction would make the garment difficult to wear during some physical activities, such as dancing or swimming, because the inflexibility of the wire portion may cause the entire garment to buckle outwards. In order to maintain the garments in place without gaping away from the body during physical activities, they would have to fit extremely tightly on the body. They would therefore be overly restrictive and uncomfortable.
Yet another disadvantage of the prior art garments is that the wire portions forming the front part of the garments extend under the legs of the wearer in a narrow V- or Y-configuration. Movement of the wearer""s legs would cause the wires to pinch together, which is highly undesirable.
There remains a need for a thong-type garment which is largely invisible when worn wear under tight clothing, which is comfortable for the wearer, and which readily conforms to the body of the wearer.
It is an objective of the invention to provide an open-sided, waistless thong-type garment having a spring wire frame which is undetectable under form-fitting clothing.
It is another objective to provide an open-sided, waistless thong-type garment which conforms to the body so it can be comfortably worn.
It is still another objective to provide an open-sided, waistless thong-type garment which is suitable for use as an undergarment, a swimsuit, or a tanning garment.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide an open-sided, waistless thong-type garment which includes a retractable belt which encircles the waist when more secure wear is desired, and which also allows the attachment of a skirt to the belt for greater coverage and versatility of wear.
It is yet a further objective of the invention to provide an open-sided, waistless thong-type garment which has a unitary wire portion extending between the legs of the wearer.
It is still a further objective of the invention to provide an open-sided, waistless thong-type garment which has a wire frame having extensions in a floating construction so that the garment easily accommodates the movement of the body.
It is still a further objective of the invention to provide an open-sided, waistless thong-type garment which can be worn by both men and women.
In accordance with the above objectives, an open-sided thong-type garment is provided which has a frame constructed from a resilient wire such as piano wire or steel spring wire. The frame has an anterior frame portion and a posterior frame which curve inwardly towards one another in a spring-biased arrangement. The anterior frame portion configured in a symmetrical U-shape and is adapted to curve around the genital region of the wearer. The anterior frame portion has an arcuate base and two upwardly extending stems terminating in closed loops. The posterior frame portion is attached to the arcuate base and is configured to curve upwardly between the buttocks of the wearer. The posterior frame portion terminates in a closed loop adapted for tensioned engagement with the sacrum of the wearer. The garment includes a fabric covering on the frame which includes a substantially triangular-shaped front fabric panel which spans the anterior frame portion to conceal the groin area of the wearer. Elastic is sewn into the perimeter of the front fabric panel to maintain snug contact with body of the wearer.
In another embodiment of the invention, the front fabric panel has left and right side edges which are formed as casings which have elastic belts disposed therein. The retractable belts have a first end secured at a point inside the casings and a second end extendable outside the casing. The belts can extend around the waist of the wearer. The second ends of the belts include mated fasteners which allow the belts to be securely attached to one another. A skirt or similar garment can be hung from the belt when greater coverage is desired.
In another embodiment of the invention, a horizontal bar is removably attached to the posterior frame portion of the frame such that the horizontal bar is in tensioned engagement with the lower back of the wearer. The garment further includes a substantially triangular-shaped rear fabric panel formed as a pocket which has a closed upper edge which is fitted over the horizontal bar and posterior frame portion and an open lower edge which can be attached to the front fabric panel. The front fabric panel and rear fabric panel are secured to one another using mated fasteners.
In another aspect of the invention, the garment can include apertures coincident with the loops in the frame so that ornaments can be removably attached to the loops to position the ornaments against the skin of said wearer.